Immortal Heart
by AkatsukiSerpent
Summary: I miss ZombiCombi :D So, I decided to write a quick one-shot about them.


"Ah. They are fighting again. "

Those were the words Hidan heard most of the times about him and Kakuzu when they were at the base. He was always whining and driving his partner mad. Kakuzu had explosive personality, but 91 years of his (miserable) life and he had never met a person as annoying as Hidan.

Kakuzu! Are we there, yet?! "

"No. "

"Listen here! I am not moving an inch till we have a normal breakfast. "

"Shut up. "

Here they came, Kakuzu's answer to everything. The Jashinist was tired of this attitude and he knew, the masked man was not even listening.

"Nobody has put you in a charge here! We are equal! Even Jashin-sama thinks that— "

"Can you shut your trap for once? " This time Kakuzu stopped walking and turned his head to gaze at Hidan.

"Hey, man. Can we at least take a seat? "

"No. "

"Can you open your case for a second? "

"Why? "

"Just fucking open it for Jashin's sake! "

Kakuzu froze on the place. If this was what he thought it was…

He carefully opened his case up. On the piles of money there lay a tiny wooden box. The stitched nin shut his eyes and tried to embrace his rage. Six months ago, Hidan had been asking when his birthday was. Kakuzu being determined to shut him up, told his partner a fake date, but who would have thought that this degenerate would do something like this.

"You are surprised, right? Open it up! It's a diamond worth of 10 million Ryo. Heh, I know I am amazing, right? I stole it during our mission in Iwagakure. " Hidan looked proud of himself, waiting for his partner to open the present.

Kakuzu wrapped his enormous hand around the box, holding it up to Hidan's face.

"Why did you touch my money?! You opened my case without my permission! Hell, I would never have let you even touch it!" The tall man took heavy steps toward the zealot. "You opened my case just to put this shit in there?! I have more money in here than this rock even costs! "

"How can you be so fucking ungrateful?! I thought, it would have been fun ya know! I hoped it would at least make you—"

"Fun? Yeah, it is very funny how you are trying to do what? Befriend me? " Kakuzu stood inches away from his partner now. He tightened his grip, making the velvet stone and the box containing it crush to pieces. "We are not friends, Hidan. I am walking around with a whiny baby like you just because I have no other choice! Grow the fuck up. " He said calmer than before, looked right in the Jashinist's eyes and let the crushed pieces go.

His anger turned into a confusion. They have fought numerous times before, but there was certainly something wrong with the way Hidan looked at him. That bitchy grin on his face, that play of eyebrows and his hollow eyes, all gone. Instead, the stitched nin noticed an emotion unusual for his partner. Was it sadness? Disappointment? Confusion? Kakuzu did not know. Then a miracle happened. Hidan kept himself quiet. Fall's nin continued to walk again. Unknown to him the second miracle had also happened, Hidan started to think.

He could not understand, what was he doing wrong. From the first day they partnered up, he had always been the one trying to joke around, start conversations and many other things, which Kakuzu did not seem to value. He valued it actually, even if the bounty hunter could not admit it to himself. He valued everything Hidan had tried, but this man knew, he would not dare to make a mistake again. In the end, he knew, making bonds always ended in pain of losing them. The treasurer was old enough, not to take a risk like that again.

The sun was setting, when they reached a cheap inn.

"One room, two beds. " Kakuzu said to an old lady.

"Wait, I am not staying here."

"Listen here, Hidan. I am not going to pay more than this for a fancier room, understood? " Kakuzu replied, looking from under his eyebrows.

"I mean, that I am going to stay somewhere another. We are heading out at sunrise, right? " Hidan asked as he walked out of the inn, leaving his partner puzzled.

Kakuzu got lost in his thoughts, then he heard a voice.

"So, that means one room with one bed, right? " The woman asked.

"One room, two beds. " He said irritated and with an even deeper voice.

At first, he was even glad. He could have counted his money without Hidan blabbering all the time. Being immortal means, that you have to watch as the people you love die and be forgotten. If, there had been anyone Kakuzu loved, then they were long gone. He would rather tear one of his hearts out, than admit, that he liked Hidan in any way. But both of them knew, they could not get rid of each other and none of the men knew, if it was a good thing or a bad one. Kakuzu was pleased, that he had Hidan as his partner. Even now, he was somewhere outside in the woods or on the streets, with no food or money or a place to sleep, but the stitched nin knew, by the morning he would see the albino again.

As the night fell, the rain started to increase. The thunder was deafening. Kakuzu, being already tucked in his bed warmly, changed his side again and landed a gaze at the bed, supposed to be for his partner. The lighting illuminated the whole room. Bounty hunter suddenly jolted and almost stood up. He stopped himself from doing so and remained seated in his bed. Kakuzu let out a sigh and slid his hands through his dark hair.

Hidan had been walking aimlessly for two hours in the village. Not having money meant no food and roof above the head.

"I can do things myself! I don't need him or his stupid money! " Those were the phrases he kept murmuring to himself. If the village had not been too crowded, then he was even ready to slaughter some people. Also, he had tried to steal a bread from the bakery, but it ended with him being kicked out, since he made too much noise.

Hidan tried to make up a plan for the night and thought—no, he did not think, he just hissed "Fuck it!" and headed for the woods.

The rain did not stop for the whole night and even continued during the day. Kakuzu decided to finally search him, just to tell that they were not heading out as planned because of the weather. In the end, he thought, that Hidan should have figured it out, since he did not appear on the said time.

The treasurer had a light breakfast. Eating and scanning the bingo book – it's been a while since he had done that in peace. Even when Hidan was eating, he would speak non-stop, sometimes even spitting his food out, which drove Kakuzu mad. Another thing his partner used to do was staring. The bounty hunter was used to people shooting curious glances at his stitched face, but Hidan was another. He did not look away when being noticed staring.

"Stop it." Kakuzu would say to him when they ate and he would just look him into the eyes, then after a few minutes back at his face again. The Fall's nin honestly thought, that Hidan talking nonsense was better than him being quiet but staring at him the whole time.

"Oh. If only I had a mouth like that… I would open it all the way up and then experiment with how much food I could put in it in one go." Once he said, munching.

Kakuzu would have happily hit him at that time, but he always noticed. Hidan was the only one looking at his face and not being freaked out or disgusted. It felt more, like he was trying find out more about them. How did he get them? How did they work? Did they hurt?

"…the hell…" Kakuzu let out a deep sigh as he could not concentrate on his counting. It's only been one day, what was wrong with him?

The sky started to darken and this time, not being able to sleep, Kakuzu decided to look for his partner.

The village was so small, it took him only half an hour to check every street. Stitched nin was soaked from head to feet, when he saw a white-haired head.

"Finally." He muttered.

Hidan was leaning against a tree, not even trying to hide from the rain. Kakuzu traced his long fingers over the numerous symbols—triangle in a circle, drawn with blood on the same tree.

"Hidan." Kakuzu said his name slowly, despite already realising, that he was asleep with his metal spear in his chest.

The Jashinist only opened his eyes because of the smell of food. It seemed odd that he was at the inn, tucked in his bed and it drove him mad seeing Kakuzu and realising what had happened, but also the albino was starving. Kakuzu stood up and threw a bento at his partner. The latter, catching it with no problem, started to devour without a word.

"I had to reschedule our missions because of you. Being an idiot and running off like a little sissy has its downs, you see."

Hidan raised an eyebrow and tried to argue, but no sound came out. It was clearly not because of his mouth being full.

"What? I can't hear you. Do you want to say something?"

"Why… " Hidan's voice remained low and it trailed off no matter how hard he tried.

"I will give you three chances to guess." Kakuzu said and sat back down at the table, writing something.

"Jashin-sama is… "

"I'm gonna give you Jashin-sama now!" The miser shouted. It was clear that he was really pissed off.

"I got…hmpf…sick?"

"You were sleeping, I repeat, SLEEPING under the pouring rain!" Hidan wanted to shout at him. Dragging him around like a baby, how dare he.

"Rest your voice and shut up!"

"Stop… *cough* I don't…"

The Fall's nin rolled his eyes over. "I told you to rest."

Hidan stopped struggling and stared at Kakuzu's eyes for approximately 15 seconds. It was pretty weird, he could not break away from the Jashinist's gaze, staring back. Then Hidan let out a scream.

"Stop caring about me! I don't need it!" He started to cough real hard this time and almost believed, that he tore his vocal chords apart.

Kakuzu stood up, clenching his papers and bingo book and reached for the door.

"Kakuzu whe—"

"Fuck…You…" He said slowly highlighting every word.

Their days continued like the usual. Bounty hunting, arguing, rituals, arguing, eating, arguing, sleeping, arguing and so on, none of them bringing up the thing, which had happened between them a month ago.

They were ambushed in a forest, moving at high speed until the explosive tags exploded, blocking their way.

"Here we go. Like we always do." Hidan yelled, grinning and swinging his scythe.

"I suggest you surrender right now. We have more numbers of warriors; the forest is filled with traps…consider it." Dark haired shinobi from the Hidden Grass Village declared.

"Shut up, you son of a bitch! Don't underestimate me and the wrath of Jashin! And more importantly don't underestimate him! He will sew up your asshole and then cry as you start puking shit!"

Kakuzu chuckled.

It was very rare, but Hidan had heard him laugh three or maybe four times? It even made him feel proud of himself when he made him chuckle, because he was doing something impossible, a miracle.

There was one thing, which left Kakuzu baffled all the time. Hidan was not as stupid as some people assumed. He was great at observing things. Kakuzu did not understand how did he do that, but every time he smiled under his mask it was already clear for Hidan.

"You are smiling, aren't you?" He would ask, giggling. The miser always remained silent.

The battle started and it seemed as the shinobi stated. There were 30 other ninjas surrounding them. The worst thing was, that they had to split up.

Hidan cut open the stomach of the last ninja standing. As he reached his partner, he was welcomed with the same sight. Women and men, stabbed or burnt to death, lying around lifeless. Kakuzu was barely standing in the middle of the blood puddle.

"Wha…They got you pretty bad."

"These fuckers…Knew everything about my jutsu…They were ready for it." His breath was heavy and there were broken masks on the ground. Only one, slightly damaged heart remained in his chest. The stitched nin leaned to a tree and slid down, hitting the ground hard.

He groaned. Even with his eyes shut from the pain, he could still sense Hidan walking toward him.

"Hidan…Even if I steal a new heart…There's no chance for me to survive." Kakuzu opened his eyes a little. "I had lived for too long, that…Even with one heart I might die…so… "

Now Hidan stood over him. Looking from above with his hollow eyes, no emotion on his face.

"You always blabbered…That you would sacrifice me to Jashin one day…" He started to laugh. "Come on. Do it." Kakuzu looked up at Hidan now, barely keeping his eyes open.

The Jashinist stood there like a statue.

"Faster or…I will die before you start…your stupid ritual."

Hidan still had his gaze focused on his eyes. And again, Kakuzu could see no emotion, he could not read him. The albino's face was completely blank.

"Hidan." He said the last word and tried to fight it. In the end, he shut his eyes and moved no more.

The sound of rain and burning wood woke him up. It took him a while, until he realised his position. He was sure, that he was in a cave, on a high mountain. He tried to move but his every cell screamed in agony.

"What took you so long?" Kakuzu heard a familiar voice and only now recognized the silhouette of his partner.

"What…" He did not finish the question. Something was certainly wrong with the way his partner was sitting. "Are you doing a ritual? Are you still in the process of sacrificing me?"

"What?" Hidan let out a deep sigh. "No." His voice sounded very tired.

"Why am I still alive?"

"It seems, that if a heart is strong enough, you can still survive after planting it in your body."

"Looks like body automatically accepted and planted that heart then."

"Mhhm… That's how it was." Hidan hissed from pain.

"What is wrong with you? I can't see you at all. It's irritating."

This time he received no answer. After some time Kakuzu fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already morning. It took him a minute to realise everything.

"What have you…" This time he could move and slowly kneeled over Hidan, still sitting on the cold ground.

"It's okay…Everything's okay…" Kakuzu was sure, that his partner was hallucinating something.

"Hidan…Why?" He asked with his voice shaking, which was very unusual for him. Kakuzu traced his fingers over Hidan's hair, pushing them out of his forehead.

Hidan only let out a sigh. Kakuzu was still staring at his partner, who had a big hole, roughly dug in his chest. He could see his arteries and veins, supposed to be connected to his heart, which was being absent and beating in Kakuzu's chest. The worst thing to look at was his ribcage. The bounty hunter had no idea how had his partner managed to break them like that. With no organ to pump his blood, the Jashinist's face was even paler than usual.

"Why?" Fall's nin asked quietly.

"I don't know…Why not?"

"Why?!" This time he punched Hidan in the face. Kakuzu hated how he was never able to control his rage. There were some things making his blood boil from anger. First, he did not understand his concern. Hidan was immortal, he was not going to die, but there was this weird feeling Kakuzu received when he saw him more clearly under the sunlight, something like the mix of guilt and fear. Then the second reason, was not getting the answers. It made him completely lose his control, when he did not understand something, even slightly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, holding Hidan's head closer to his neck and chest.

As soon as he found his first victim, Kakuzu returned the heart to Hidan, trying his very best to stitch the hole. Occasionally he would ask the same question, getting the same answer.

"I still don't understand…Why?"

"Wish I knew."

In the end, he understood. Hidan had the same reason for helping him as he had the reason for being concerned about him, during that time when he looked for him in the woods and in the cave. There were no words said, but both knew the value of the bond they had. They were sure they had the same feelings, after all, there was a time when they shared one heart.


End file.
